TEAM

Team

The five core members from Japan and India are based in both countries, keeping abreast of social and business trends, and value dialogue with customers and partners. The two members based in Japan will correspond in Japanese.

Natsuko Mochizuki

Co-founder & CEO

Based in Tokyo, Japan

Natsuko worked for P&G, Nike, Mori Building, Fast Retailing, and other firms for over 17 years in business development, marketing, public relations, and new business development. In 2007, she founded Moonlight Wave Corporation to serve international companies (technology, lifestyle, manufacturing, startups, and foundations) in public relations and localization. While doing so, she was exposed to India's talented people, advanced digital society, and innovation creation power first hand. She established moonlink Inc., the predecessor of MiraIndia, in 2018 in order to contribute to solutions to the challenges faced by Japanese companies related to business with India.

She has visited India more than 40 times in the past 15 years to expand her co-creation network with Indian companies, investors, law firms, marketing and PR agencies, educational institutions, NPOs, and industry associations. She continues to provide collaborative support for research, site visits, business matching, and business development.

Public Relations Advisor to the Government of Japan
Member of the Counselors Academy of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
Advisor to Agastya International Foundation (an educational NPO in India)

B.A. sociology at School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University

  • Business strategy and development
  • Project Management
  • Marketing
  • Research
  • Industry Trends/Consumer Insight
  • International Public Relations and Media Relations
  • Branding
  • CSR
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Global Network

Dr. Madanmohan Rao

Co-founder & Senior Executive Director

Based in Bengaluru

Madanmohan is an influential consultant and researcher in innovation and collaboration. He specializes in partnering with domestic and international companies with India's innovation ecosystem in the technology domain, which he has been involved in for more than 20 years. He has worked in the United States (New York, San Francisco), Europe (Sweden, Italy), and in Singapore for international organizations such as United Nations Inter Press Service. He has been promoting the use of technology in business since the early days of the Internet, and has contributed regularly to the industry by supporting open innovation and collaboration between startups and major global companies in retail, energy, food, and mobility categories.

He currently serves as Research Director for YourStory, India's largest platform for startups and innovation with a global audience of 10 million, publishing analysis and insights in the company's media. He participates in panel discussions with global corporate leaders, and serves as a coach and jury member for corporate accelerator programs. He is a Charter Member of TiE Bangalore, a global entrepreneurship support organization, and key member of the Global Knowledge Summit Committee at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He is the author of 15 books and 350 book reviews on innovation, knowledge management, and creativity.

Research Director, YourStory
Charter Member, TiE Bangalore
Core Member, Knowledge Summit Committee, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in Computer Science (B.Tech.)
PhD in Communication from University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA

  • Innovation
  • Business Ecosystem
  • Startups Ecosystem
  • Collaboration for Large Corporations
  • Consulting
  • Organizational Empowerment
  • India's latest information dissemination
  • IT
  • AI / VR
  • Digital Transformation

Dr. Radhakrishnan Nair

Senior Executive Director

Based in Kobe, Osaka in Japan

Born and educated in India, Radhakrishnan spent 23 years at P&G's Research & Development (Japan headquarters). At P&G, he led product /technology innovation and open innovation projects in Japan, India, Korea, and Silicon Valley with the successful market launch of a range of products and services. With his experience as P&G's Open Innovation Director, he is continuing to support companies to create innovation. Radhakrishnan is a specialist in building innovation ecosystems from scratch to support the development of new technology, products, and services. He does this by developing and coordinating a network of companies including Startups, universities, service companies, associations and governmental organizations that support P&G's innovation programs in each country market, including India and Japan, as well as globally. He is fluent in Japanese.

Director (Member of the Board) of Japan Innovation Network (JIN), a general incorporated association with expertise in international standard innovation management systems.
Adjunct Professor of MBA Courses at Hosei University and at Kwansei Gakuin University, Institute of Business and Accounting.

PhD. in Polymer Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Tokyo Institute of Technology.

  • Open Innovation
  • Ecosystem building
  • Supporting Corporate Partnerships
  • PoC
  • Research and Development
  • Product/Service Development/New Business Development
  • Industry-University Joint Research
  • Startup Collaboration
  • Innovation Organization Development and Training
  • Research

Achal Nath

Senior Advisor

Based in Delhi

Achal is the Chairman and Managing Director of AMC Pvt Ltd and a member of the Board of Directors of the Machine Tool Manufacturers Association (IMTMA), which works with the manufacturing industry in India and abroad. He is an expert in factory automation, with over 45 years of experience in areas such as robotics and automation.
For the past 35 years, he has been an advisor to the robotics division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries in both Japan and India. He has wide-ranging knowledge of the Indian manufacturing industry and an extensive network of contacts within central and local governments to assist in product development and business development for global companies. He has extensive experience working with multinational companies such as Suzuki, Toyota, Honda, Komatsu, Hyundai, Ford, and Tata, as well as with Indian SMEs. He is also familiar with Japanese industry and business practices, having worked with many Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industry and Omron, as well as FANUC-controlled CNC machine manufacturing.

Director, Indian Machine Tool Builders' Association (IMTMA)

B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

  • Factory Automation
  • Corporate Management
  • Robotics
  • Engineering
  • Manufacturing
  • Automotive and ceramic industry
  • Machine tools
  • Supplier Collaboration
  • Joint Ventures
  • Public-private partnerships

Ninu Khanna

Senior Advisor

Based in Mumbai

Ninu has many years of experience in building, operating, and leading businesses as a management member of major global companies such as P&G and Colgate, and major Indian companies including conglomerates such as Dabur and Bombay Dyeing. In 2006, he was appointed President and CEO of Reliance Retail, India's largest retail chain. Over the next 10 years, he led the corporate management and contributed significantly to its business expansion. He has also held assignments in Japan and Africa.
After retiring in 2017, he leveraged his experience in managing large companies, including B2B and B2C, to support corporate turnarounds and business development through consulting on issues such as business turnarounds, organization building, market building, and managing transitions from family-owned businesses. He provides solutions to a wide variety of global business issues.

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kolkata.

  • Corporate management
  • Multinational corporations
  • Indian conglomerates
  • Market development
  • Turnaround and corporate Transformation
  • Consumer goods
  • Retail & Distribution
  • Chemicals & Textiles
  • Joint Ventures / M&A
  • Public-Private Partnerships